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The Holy Bible - God's Word for All Generations

Psalms Chapter 137

Other Translations

asv (asv) - eBible.org engASV USFM

1 So will I bless thee while I live:
2 I will lift up my hands in thy name.
3 My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness;
4 And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips;
5 When I remember thee upon my bed,
6 And meditate on thee in the night-watches.
7 For thou hast been my help,
8 And in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice.
9 My soul followeth hard after thee:

darby (darby) - eBible.org Darby 1890 plaintext

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down; yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst thereof.
3 For there they that carried us away captive required of us a song; and they that made us wail [required] mirth, [saying,] Sing us [one] of the songs of Zion.
4 How should we sing a song of Jehovah's upon a foreign soil?
5 If I forget thee, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget [its skill];
6 If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to my palate: if I prefer not Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, O Jehovah, against the sons of Edom, the day of Jerusalem; who said, Lay [it] bare, Lay [it] bare, down to its foundation!
8 Daughter of Babylon, who art to be laid waste, happy he that rendereth unto thee that which thou hast meted out to us.
9 Happy he that taketh and dasheth thy little ones against the rock.

lxxbrent (lxxbrent) - Septuagint (Brenton 1851) eBible USFM

1 A Psalm for David, of Aggæus and Zacharias. I will give thee thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart; and I will sing psalms to thee before the angels; for thou hast heard all the words of my mouth.
2 I will worship toward thy holy temple, and give thanks to thy name, on account of thy mercy and thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy holy name above every thing.
3 In whatsoever day I shall call upon thee, hear me speedily; thou shalt abundantly provide me with thy power in my soul.
4 Let all the kings of the earth, O Lord, give thanks unto thee; for they have heard all the words of thy mouth.
5 And let them sing in the ways of the Lord; for great is the glory of the Lord.
6 For the Lord is high, and [yet] regards the lowly; and he knows high things from afar off.
7 Though I should walk in the midst of affliction, thou wilt quicken me; thou hast stretched forth thine hands against the wrath of mine enemies, and thy right hand has saved me.
8 O Lord, thou shalt recompense [them] on my behalf: thy mercy, O Lord, [endures] for ever: overlook not the works of thine hands.

vul1914 (vul1914) - Vulgate 1914 UTF-8 (sacredbible.org)

1 Ipsi David. Confitebor tibi Domine in toto corde meo: quoniam audisti verba oris mei. In conspectu angelorum psallam tibi:
2 adorabo ad templum sanctum tuum, et confitebor nomini tuo. Super misericordia tua, et veritate tua: quoniam magnificasti super omne, nomen sanctum tuum.
3 In quacumque die invocavero te, exaudi me: multiplicabis in anima mea virtutem.
4 Confiteantur tibi Domine omnes reges terræ: quia audierunt omnia verba oris tui:
5 Et cantent in viis Domini: quoniam magna est gloria Domini.
6 Quoniam excelsus Dominus, et humilia respicit: et alta a longe cognoscit.
7 Si ambulavero in medio tribulationis, vivificabis me: et super iram inimicorum meorum extendisti manum tuam, et salvum me fecit dextera tua.
8 Dominus retribuet pro me: Domine misericordia tua in sæculum: opera manuum tuarum ne despicias.

web (web) - WorldEnglish.Bible — CC0 modern update of ASV

1 By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down. Yes, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
2 On the willows in that land, we hung up our harps.
3 For there, those who led us captive asked us for songs. Those who tormented us demanded songs of joy: “Sing us one of the songs of Zion!”
4 How can we sing the LORD’s song in a foreign land?
5 If I forget you, Jerusalem, let my right hand forget its skill.
6 Let my tongue stick to the roof of my mouth if I don’t remember you, if I don’t prefer Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, LORD, against the children of Edom in the day of Jerusalem, who said, “Raze it! Raze it even to its foundation!”
8 Daughter of Babylon, doomed to destruction, he will be happy who repays you, as you have done to us.
9 Happy shall he be, who takes and dashes your little ones against the rock.

ylt (ylt) - Bible.com YLT98 plain UTF-8

1 By rivers of Babylon--There we did sit, Yea, we wept when we remembered Zion.
2 On willows in its midst we hung our harps.
3 For there our captors asked us the words of a song, And our spoilers--joy: `Sing ye to us of a song of Zion.'
4 How do we sing the song of Jehovah, On the land of a stranger?
5 If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, my right hand forgetteth!
6 My tongue doth cleave to my palate, If I do not remember thee, If I do not exalt Jerusalem above my chief joy.
7 Remember, Jehovah, for the sons of Edom, The day of Jerusalem, Those saying, `Rase, rase to its foundation!'
8 O daughter of Babylon, O destroyed one, O the happiness of him who repayeth to thee thy deed, That thou hast done to us.
9 O the happiness of him who doth seize, And hath dashed thy sucklings on the rock!

Explanations by Age Level

Explain Like I'm 5

A long, long time ago, there was nothing at all - no earth, no sky, no animals, no people. It was all dark and empty. But God was there! God is so powerful that He can make anything just by speaking. So God said "Let there be light!" and BOOM! There was light everywhere! God saw that the light was beautiful and good. He called the light "day" and the darkness "night." This was the very first day when God started making our wonderful world!

Explain Like I'm 10

Before anything existed - no planets, stars, or life - God decided to create the universe. The earth started out as a dark, empty place covered with water. But God's Spirit was there, ready to bring order and beauty to everything. When God spoke and said "Let there be light," light immediately appeared because God's words have incredible power. God looked at the light and was pleased with what He had made. He organized time by separating light (day) from darkness (night), creating the first 24-hour period. This shows us that God is organized and purposeful in everything He does.

Explain Like I'm 15

Genesis 1:1-5 establishes fundamental theological truths about God and creation. The Hebrew word "bara" (created) indicates creation from nothing (ex nihilo), demonstrating God's absolute sovereignty and power. The phrase "without form and void" (tohu wa-bohu) describes a state of chaos that God transforms into order. The Spirit of God "hovering" or "brooding" over the waters suggests active, caring involvement in creation. The creation of light before the sun (created on day 4) indicates that God Himself is the ultimate source of light and energy. The establishment of day and night creates the framework of time, showing that God operates within orderly patterns while transcending them. This passage refutes both atheistic materialism and pantheism, establishing that God is both transcendent (separate from creation) and immanent (actively involved in it).